


home's embrace

by Carmailo



Series: Voltron One Shots [14]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, M/M, mainly just keef being called out and then... klance, set after s4 e6, uh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2018-04-02
Packaged: 2019-04-17 06:14:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14182665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carmailo/pseuds/Carmailo
Summary: He’s not entirely sure where home is.Or, for that matter, ifhomeeven exists.The closest thing Keith has is his old room, where the covers are tucked neatly in place, his jacket up on a hook, and his Earthen clothing folded on his bed, memories clinging to it all.





	home's embrace

The entire way back, Keith doesn’t say a word.

The entire walk to the bridge, he’s dead silent.

When he gets there, he lets Shiro hug him and doesn’t say a word as he’s embraced.

He sniffles once, and Shiro pretends to dismiss him so he can collect himself. Kolivan isn’t pleased, but he doesn’t say much, assuming that the exchange between the two is unique to humans.

It’s been a few months since Keith has been in the castle, now, but the halls are just as familiar as they were when he left. It’s weird, though, to walk down corridors that he had once called _home_. Now, he’s not entirely sure where home is.

Or, for that matter, if _home_ even exists.

What Keith wants most is to go back to the desert. To lay under his father’s musty covers and pretend the rest of the world doesn’t exist, at least for a little while. But there’s no rickety bed from the nineties here, no soft-with-use covers and creaking, aged mattress. The closest thing Keith has is his old room, where the covers are tucked neatly in place, his jacket up on a hook, and his Earthen clothing folded upon his bed, likely gathering the space equivalent of dust.

Keith pauses in the doorway when he gets there, lingering for a moment before stepping over the threshold into his old life. Shaking his head as though to rid himself of the sudden nostalgia plaguing him, Keith steps into the room. He sits on the edge of his bed.

And… nothing happens. His hands shake a little more and his heart lodges itself a bit higher up in his throat, but nothing _actually happens_.

Keith bounces on the bed a little. Taps his feet on the ground.

There’s a knock, then, and Keith’s door slides open, presenting another paladin.

“Hello, Keith.” Allura greets. She’s standing at the door in her pink paladin armour, hands clasped loosely in front of her, poised as ever.

Keith stands, but he doesn’t speak. He hasn't seen the princess in months, and he can’t find anything to say to her. Idly he thinks that she’s just as beautiful as always, if not a little bit worn from all the fighting she’s been doing with Voltron.

A moment passes, and then, “may I come in?”

Keith nods, reaching up to tuck some of his fringe behind his ear.

Allura takes a step into the room, the door sliding shut behind her, and takes a moment to appraise the space before her piercing gaze is on Keith. Keith sits himself down, already awaiting the lecture he’s sure he’s going to get.

“It’s been quiet without you.”

Keith… had not expected that at all. He blinks, his mouth opening as he tries and fails to formulate a response.

Allura continues anyways, “Pidge is often busy working on advancements to her technology and Hunk is frequently roped into her pursuits. Shiro and I are… not the loudest, and Coran has put himself through quite a lot in recent times.”

Keith clamps his mouth shut.

“And Lance… I used to think I would enjoy having him be quiet for a full five ticks, but now… I barely see him anymore outside of Voltron.”

Keith can’t find anything to say to that, so he pauses a moment, working his jaw as he waits for Allura to continue.

Allura sighs tiredly, “may I?”

Keith scoots over a few inches, allowing the princess enough space to set herself down. She’s quiet a moment longer, and her presence is comforting in the sense that she is familiar. The space next to Keith aches though, because a few months ago Allura would have sat down without asking and allowed her shoulder to brush against his. It’s odd how close the seven of them had become without even realizing it, invading each other’s spaces in a way that wasn’t irritating at all; if anything, it was endearing.

“It’s been such a while since I saw you last,” Allura says, but she still doesn’t turn to face Keith. “I miss how there was no quiet when you were around. It feels like a piece is missing without you here.”

Keith tries to find something to say, he really does, but he’s afraid that the next thing out of his mouth will be either a sob or scream.

Allura stands again, “I must be going. Just… try to remember that there’s always a place for you here in Voltron.”

_You should’ve said that to Lance months ago,_ Keith thinks, bitterly staring at the space Lance had occupied that day, so long ago, holding up his pinky finger in his funny little way of using his fingers to count because he didn’t think he was good enough.

Allura stands there a moment longer, hands fidgeting before she’s leaning down to hug Keith. Keith hugs as he always does, placing his hands lightly on Allura’s shoulder blades before letting her rise away from him and out of the room.

Idly, Keith thinks about how he has hugged Allura the most, aside from Shiro. Not once has he hugged Lance, and the closest thing to a hug he’s gotten from Pidge is her falling out of the vents onto him. And while Hunk has always been the sort to give spontaneous bear hugs, Keith’s only been on the receiving end of those once. Coran doesn’t really give hugs so much as random touches of affection, and Kolivan… Kolivan is not the sort of person who thinks physical affection is necessary. There have been group hugs, sure, but individually… 

It’s not that Keith dislikes hugs; on the contrary, he rather quite enjoys them. However, he isn’t very keen on requesting them.

It can’t be helped, though. Keith’s callous exterior often gives the impression he refuses all physical affection without a second thought - in fact, he does. Though those who know Keith below his exterior - his paladin family, his father - know the reality: Keith is afraid of loving someone who could leave him at a moment’s notice. If he needs to sacrifice physical contact in order to keep a safe distance between himself and others, then he will. If he chooses to sacrifice physical affection in order to keep an entirely false, thanks to the six other people he’d spent so much time with the past year or so, his illusion of _safe distance,_ then so be it.

Sighing, Keith gets to his feet and stretches. He’s shaken up, sure, but there are so many more important things to tend to, so he ties his hair up - much longer than the last time he was here and therefore constantly in his eyes - and heads to the bridge.

When he gets there, it’s empty, and Keith remembers that Lotor is onboard - it makes sense that no one is on the bridge when they so clearly need to focus resources on their new possible ally.

So Keith makes his way down to the chambers that they’d trapped Sendak in, a year or so ago. It would make sense to keep Lotor there, right?

Frowning, Keith wonders just how long they’ve been in space.

At the cryopod that had once held Sendak, now, Keith finds no one to be there. Huffing frustratedly, he starts making his way down to the lounge. At the very least, he can probably talk to one of the other paladins there.

Keyword being _one_.

However, fate holds a monopoly against Keith, and when he arrives at the lounge, there are not one, not two, but three paladins spread out across the room. Pidge is sitting tiredly on one of the seats, legs out far in front of her and head resting on the back of the seat in exhaustion. Her arms lie by her sides, dropped there without a second thought. Hunk has stationed himself next to her, dozing off with his head in his hand, elbow on knee. Lance seems to have thrown himself over the back of the couch-like seat, legs splayed out and arms flung wildly. He’s talking animatedly yet tiredly about something, arms gesturing widely.

When Keith walks in, however, all conversation ceases.

Pidge blinks up at him blearily before recognition filters onto her face and she’s vaulting over the back of the couch to get to him. Hunk chases after her, excited to see Keith in person after their months apart.

Lance, however, only sits up straight and squawks, “ _Keith?!_ ”

“Keith!” Pidge exclaims, hugging Keith.

Hunk wraps his arms around both of them, squeezing tightly. Pidge, however, pushes back and punches Keith in the stomach. “Fuck you!”

Keith opens his mouth to respond, but Hunk beats him to it, “yeah! Not okay! There are other ways! To take down a particle barrier!”

Keith lets out a choked sound, trying to find words, but then Lance is suddenly in front of him, personal space completely forgotten.

“Yeah, Keith! Do you have _any_ idea how stupid that was? You could’ve _died!_ ” Lance’s arms go out wide with his exclamation, Hunk and Pidge stepping back a short way so they don’t get hit. From behind Lance, they nod, offering noises in affirmation. Hunk even crosses his arms, but the relief is clear on all of their faces.

“It’s one thing to suggest that, one thing to do that where it _makes a difference,_ but you had _no idea_ if it would work or not! And you can’t just die!” Lance yells, angry or exasperated, Keith can’t tell. He starts to pace. Then he paces toward Keith, steadily reducing the distance between them, “people care about you! Think about Shiro! Coran, Allura, Hunk, Pidge! Me!” he throws his arms out again to his sides and deflates, hanging his head sullenly in front of Keith, tendrils of his brown hair brushing against Keith’s chest. Had Lance’s hair always been that curly?

Without any force or bite, Lance punches Keith in the chest. After the feeble impact, he lets his fist uncurl and fall away. “What about me?” Lance repeats, softer, voice weak.

Keith tries to say something, he does, but words have never been his forté, and how can he say something to ease Lance? There isn’t much to say, is there? Even actions, typically Keith’s favoured communication style, would fail him now.

“I have so much left to tell you.”

Keith is vaulting through the past then, back before Voltron, before Kerberos, before the Garrison, before Shiro, before _everything,_ back to the last time he saw his father, as he pulled a bandana over his nose and knapsack onto his shoulder.

_“Keith,”_ he’d said, _“I have so much left to tell you.”_

Keith hadn’t said a word, had watched as he father clapped him on the shoulder and was on his way. He had stayed silent until his father was disappearing over that one giant dune, and then Keith had run screaming after him.

He wonders, often at night when sleep won’t find him, what his father had left to tell him.

But instead of letting Lance go, instead of letting the admission hang untouched in the air like on that dry August day, Keith forces the words that have been lodged in his throat since his father was tugged away for an indefinite time.

“Tell me.”

All at once, the tightness in Keith’s chest comes undone, and it’s suddenly not so hard to speak anymore.

Lance looks up, surprised, “um,” he stammers.

A moment passes between all four of the teens before Hunk speaks up softly, encouraging as always, “come on, buddy,” he urges, “you can do it.”

If he’s being honest, Keith had sort of forgotten Hunk and Pidge were even there.

Lance looks back at Hunk, who nods, smiling reassuringly. Pidge smirks good-naturedly and gives a small thumbs up.

Lance turns back to Keith, gaze darting everywhere except for at him.

Tentative, Lance reaches out his hands and takes both of Keith’s in his own. Keith’s brows draw together, but he doesn’t say anything.

“I. Uh.” Lance pauses, and then his piercing gaze is on Keith. “Like… You.”

“What?” Keith asks, “like… me?”

“Yeah,” Lance cocks his head, eyes sliding off to a point in his peripheral.

“Is this a joke?”

Lance blinks in surprise, but doesn’t deny the claim.

“I’ve had one hell of a day, Lance. Don’t screw with me.”

“Wha- No! Who even does that? God, no!” Lance’s eyes blow wide as he leans forward, tugging on Keith’s hands in the process.

“Then…” Keith’s brows come together again.

“Just kiss already,” Pidge says, “I could cut this sexual tension with Keith’s Marmora blade.”

Lance flushes, turning halfway to glare at Pidge. “Shut up,” he hisses.

“Uh,” Keith interrupts, “still confused.”

“Oh dios mio- okay,” Lance says, “okay.”

And then he leans forward and kisses Keith.

When he pulls back, Pidge cheers sarcastically, and Hunk offers Lance a comment of validation that Keith completely misses, blood roaring in his ears as it rushes to his cheeks.

Lance himself, is already bright red. He’s still clutching Keith’s hands, though loosely now, as though expecting Keith to pull away completely. Keith, however, does no such thing, instead blinking rapidly, his mouth opening and closing as he tries to wrap his head around the enigma that he has come to find is Lance.

“Well?” Lance asks, after a few moments of quiet.

Keith’s eyes are still wide, so he stares at Lance a while longer.

“C’mon Keith, do _some_ thin-” Lance starts, and then Keith is grabbing him by the neck of his armour and pulling him in for another kiss.

“Whoa,” Lance says, when Keith lets him pulls back.

“I… maybe like you as well.” Keith says.

 

“Uh.” Lance stammers, curling his hands into fists and standing stick-straight, hands tucked tightly to his sides. “Didn’t think I’d get this far,” he admits, eyes dancing everywhere but at Keith’s face.

“Well,” Keith shrugs.

Lance lets out a long huff, and Keith raises an eyebrow in question before Lance is changing the subject. Abruptly and loudly, as per typical Lance fashion. “What the _fuck_ were you thinking?” he yells.

“Oh my god,” Keith replies, rolling his eyes. He brings a hand to his temple, annoyed.

“Keith!” Lance cries, his voice shooting through octaves.

And then Keith is crying.

Hot tears roll down his cheeks, the salty taste somehow finding its way onto his tongue.

“Oh, Keith,” Lance says softly, taking Keith’s shoulder. Gently, he leads him to the lounges and they sit down together, legs pressed close. Lance wraps an arm around Keith’s shoulder and Keith leans into the hold, gritting his teeth. Pidge reaches out a hand from in front of Keith, petting his head comfortingly. On his right, Hunk wraps his arms around all three of them, holding them together.

Keith shakes as he cries, and after only a moment he realizes that his friends are crying, too, trying their best to hide it so that Keith doesn’t feel bad. Turning in his seat, Keith spreads his arms out, hugging both Hunk and Lance at once. Pidge catches on and joins, pressing the crown of her head to Keith’s, small hands coming to rest on his forearms. A second later, Hunk and Lance follow suit, creating a huddle between the four of them.

“I’m sorry,” Keith chokes out, and when it’s out, it keeps coming, and he repeats it like a mantra, hoping that what he means makes sense and his friends understand.

“No, no, it’s okay,” Hunk starts up beside him, reassuring and kind as always.

Biting back a sob, because _holy shit, I’m alive,_ Keith presses his face into the armour at Hunk’s shoulder, still mumbling.

“I can’t think of anything to make you laugh,” Lance jokes, laughing wetly.

Even though it’s a stupid joke with almost no substance, it earns a laugh from Keith, and he’s smiling through his tears because _holy shit, I’m alive._ Twisting in place, Keith wraps both his arms around Lance’s neck, embracing him tightly.

“Thanks, Lance,” he breathes, before letting go and hugging Pidge briefly, followed by Hunk. “Thank you all.”

Hunk beams, Pidge grins, and Lance flushes, but gives a wobbly smile, too. Sniffling, Keith scrubs at his eyes and then at his nose.

“Ew,” he says, voice still choked, “emotions.”

His comment earns tired laughs, and then Pidge squeezes herself between Keith and Lance, pressing close to Keith’s side. Keith puts his arm around her small frame, letting her rest her head on his shoulder. Lance drapes himself over his friends’ laps, sighing dramatically.

“You’re still not off the hook, though,” Hunk says, “I’m just too emotionally drained to deal right now.”

“Yeah,” Keith nods, but now he’s smiling a little.

And then Shiro walks into the room, followed closely by Allura and Coran.

He looks between the four of them, from Keith reciprocating contact with Pidge, to Hunk’s clear post-cry face, to Lance across all of their laps. To Keith’s hand, resting atop Lance’s chest. To Lance, who not only doesn’t mind the touch, but returns it by holding Keith’s hand between both of his.

“Uh,” Shiro begins, glancing back at Coran and Allura, “so, uh… what did I miss?”

**Author's Note:**

> i'm still salty about keith almost sacrificing himself,,, shut up brenda i KNOW IT'S BEEN FIVE MONTHS
> 
> bUT herE TAKE THIS TRASH (lmao i havent even read it through yet),,, i lost inspo along the way and even glancing at the doc was like... nahhhhh  
> but here,,, i tied it up a lil,,, this whole thing was based off of the line "so, what did i miss?" in a tone that i felt would suit shiro seeing klance holding hands before they tell him theyre a thing,,, the integration of said quote was weak bUT YOU KNOW WHAT GUESS WHO D O E S N T C A RE A N Y M O R E
> 
> +happy easter and april fools!
> 
> \-- til next time kids (hopefully soon!)


End file.
